Madness Retaliation/AAA Clones
The A.A.A. Clones are a trio of powerful soldiers created by the A.A.H.W. and the final bosses of Madness Retaliation. They were created using DNA samples taken from Hank, Sanford, and Deimos, and were apparently the first in what the A.A.H.W. had hoped would become an army of unstoppable super-soldiers. Retrieving the DNA samples and halting the production of these clones is the primary objective of the game, and the three existing clones serve as the Auditor's final defense against the protagonists. After penetrating the Auditor's office and fighting off multiple waves of enemies, the shadowy villain deploys the A.A.A. Clones against the player. Only by defeating the knockoffs can the agents of the A.A.A. retrieve the DNA vials and complete their mission. Strategy Befitting their origins as clones of major A.A.A. operatives, each clone is equipped with it's gear and "signature" weapon of their template, making them extremely dangerous in battle. Although there are many strategies to deal with them, the recommended order is Deimos -> Sanford -> Hank. Also note that Flashbang grenades only stun Deimos' clone, so you may want to stick to Smoke grenades to avoid damage here. Deimos Clone Deimos' clone is armed with a M60 machine gun, giving it devastating power (16 points) and the ability to hit everyone in its range - which is more or less the entire length of the room (7 spaces, to be exact), thanks to the double "Marksmanship" ability granted by its gear. His equipment also gives him the AP to fire multiple times per round (9 Max AP and +6 AP Gain), a dangerous prospect when its damage output and Heavy Class is factored in. To make matters worse, it automatically uses a smoke grenade at the end of its turn (including when the clones first enter the battle), greatly reducing your chances of hitting it or its allies. Luckily, however, Deimos' clone also suffers from lower-than-normal 16 HP and no AC to speak of, and he won't use smoke grenade during their turn, meaning deflected damage is a perfect counter to it. If a member of the team is equipped with Hank's Trench Coat and a melee weapon, they can reflect the gunfire back to its source, killing the clone with a few deflected shots (depending on their melee weapon). If this setup is unavailable, the gun-wielding clone can be lured into shooting the Hank clone, who will usually deflect the friendly fire back to its source. Sanford Clone The Auditor's clone of Sanford is tougher than the Deimos clone, with 32 HP and 4 AC. It's armed with Sanford's signature hook, which allows it to drag opponents towards him while stunning them for a round and halving their AC values. Its gear - in addition to enhanced durability and the "Hook Shot" ability that enables the stunning and pulling effects of his weapon - also grants it 9 AP and +5 AP Gain, allowing it to perform multiple hook attacks in a round. Once the smoke grenade support is cut off (by terminating the Deimos clone), Sanford's clone should be the next target, as it's easier to kill than Hank's clone and the constant stun-and-pull hook attacks are a serious annoyance, if not a complete strategy-destroyer. Despite its decent block rate and HP, Sanford's clone is unlikely to survive a constant barrage of attacks, especially since the player's group is likely armed with weapons that can mitigate or outright ignore its armor. Hank Clone As befits the main protagonist of the Madness Combat series, Hank's doppelganger is the most difficult single opponent in the entire game. Its katana halves enemy AC, hits a 2 x 3 area, and inflicts high damage, while its gear provides large boosts to all of its stats (48 HP, 4 AC, 11 Max AP and +5 AP Gain). Its attack range is lower than either of its allies', but its "Shadow Dash" ability allows it to move anywhere in its movement range for only 1 AP, and its "Shadow Dodge" ability can get it out of retaliation range (especially against players with melee weapons). Worst of all, however, is its "Deflect" ability, giving him a 75% chance to send an attacker's strike/gunfire back at them. Between its "Deflect" ability, high AC, and hefty HP total, the Hank Clone is extremely difficult to damage. Since most attacks will be reflected on your characters, try not to attack when your weapon damage exceeds the wielder's current HP, especially if they're also likely to be targeted by the Hank Clone on his turn. Be prepared to use medkits liberally, either to heal your characters as they take the Hank Clone's attacks or to replenish health after they respawn via Portable Improbability Drive. Another option is to get characters on both sides of Hank's clone and have them attack it from behind - it seems that its "Deflect" ability is less effective if the attack comes from behind it. Apart from wearing Hank's doppelganger down with basic probability and attrition, the best option is to fight fire with fire: a character equipped with Hank's Trenchcoat and a melee weapon (preferably either the 316 sword or Warning Sign) can deflect the clone's attacks back at it, even if the attack is itself a deflected attack. The result is still highly likely to end in your character taking damage, but less so than the conventional means of attack. Another strategy to use is to equip the clown makeup on one of your characters and let Hank's clone kill itself. The character will explode, and the clone will be unable to avoid damage from the explosion. If you have enough energy stored in the Portable Improbability Drive (P.I.D), then the character will be revived and you may use this strategy again and the Hank clone will die quickly. As long as you play strategically, use your items wisely, and keep a close eye on your characters' HP and AP levels, even Hank's clone will be no match for you. Trivia *When the clones are first deployed, Deimos' clone displays glowing red eyes, right under the horizontal line of his facial cross. This hearkens back to the usual use of the "facial cross" in art - identifying placement of facial features - and the eyes do indeed tend to be set near the horizontal line. *When the clones are first deployed, the Deimos clone is shown holding the Bren gun, but in battle, it's wielding the M60. Category:Madness Retaliation Category:Characters